Best Free Software for Windows

Best Free Software for Windows
By: Calvin

SPECIAL EVENT: FIREFOX 3 HAS BEEN RELEASED! IF YOU DON'T USE FIREFOX OR DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, THEN PLEASE DOWNLOAD FIREFOX 3 AND TRY IT OUT TODAY.

Important information:

I take no responsibility for any damage caused by following this guide, proceed at your own risk
Everything is in this post, you don't need to search the entire thread
It is recommended that you ask here for software recommendations
This list contains software with no trials, that are at least compatible with Windows XP and Vista 32bit
New software will be in bold with an asterisk next to it
Vista users should also have a look at the NBR Vista Tips and Tweaks Guide

Guidelines for Contribution:

• Only free software
• No illegal software
• Check if it's already listed
• No promotional software
• Provide a description
• Provide a safe download

Software Index: Internet Media Safety System Tools Productivity

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Internet

Web Browsers:
Firefox

Maxthon
Opera

Bittorent Clients:
uTorrent
Deluge

Communication:
digsby
Trillian
aMSN
Skype
X-Chat
Ventrilo
TeamSpeak
ThunderBird
Pidgin
Miranda IM
Gizmo5
ooVoo

RSS Feeds:
FeedDemon
RSSOwl

</>

Media

Music Players:
Foobar2000

Media Monkey
Winamp

Video Players:
Media Player Classic
SMPlayer
VLC Media Player
Zoomplayer

Media Codec Packs:
CCCP-Project
K-Lite Codec Pack
Windows Essentials Media Codec Pack

</>

Safety

Virus/Firewall/Spyware Protection:
The best free virus protection/firewall/spyware protection programs

Password Management:
KeePass

Encryption:
TrueCrypt
AxCrypt
Cryptainer LE

</>

System Tools

File Managers:
xplorer²

FreeCommander

De-Fragmentation:
JK Defrag GUI
Auslogics disk defrag

Software Update Notification:
SUMo
FileHippo Update Checker

Screen Capture/Recording:
Debut
Screenshot Captor
CamStudio
Jing
Fraps

Application Launchers:
Executor
Colibri
Launchy
Google Desktop

Application Docks:
ObjectDock
RocketDock

Theming/Widgets:
VistaGlazz
Flyakite OS X
Vista OS X
Yahoo! Widget Engine
Caledos Wallpaper Changer
AveDesk
CursorFX
Logon Studio

Virtual Desktop Managers:
Virtual Dimension
Dexpot
VirtuaWin

File Compression/Copying:
7-Zip
TeraCopy
ALZip
IZArc

Disk/Image Ripping/Burning:
DAEMON Tools
DVD Identifier
InfraRecorder
DVDFab HD Decrypter
DVD Shrink
ImgBurn
CDBurnerXP
ISO Recorder
BurnCDCC

Tweaking:
WinBubble
RegToy
CCleaner
RivaTuner
Revo Uninstaller
PC Decrapifier
WinSecret Professional

Image Viewers:
IrfanView
Picasa
FastStone Image viewer
XnView
FastStone Max View

Resource Monitors:
ATTO
CPU-Z
HWMonitor
Notebook Hardware Control
GPU-Z
Samurize
Rainmeter
WinDirStat
Everest
Hd Tach
PC Wizard
HD Tune
SpeedFan

Data Backup/Recovery:
Recuva
Syncback
DriverMax
Karen's Replicator
MozBackup
Prompt Drivers Backup
SyncToy v2.0
Test Disk
DriveImageXML

Download Managers:
Free Download Manager
Flashget

Misc. Utilities:
Convert
WinMerge
WordWeb
WinGuggle
Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder
XVI32
nLite&vLite
Unlocker
DOSBox
DBAN
Portable Apps
Memtest86+
Dead Pixel Buddy
DisplayFusion

</>

Productivity

Office:
Open Office

AbiWord
Scribus

PDF Tools:
Foxit Reader
Adobe Reader Lite
CutePDF
doPDF
PDF-XCHANGE Viewer
PrimoPDF

Blog Management:
Windows Live Writer
w.bloggar

Image Editors:
Paint.NET
GIMP
Inkscape

Video Editing:
VirtualDub

Audio/Video Encoding/Converting:
dBpoweramp
Super
HandBrake
SQUARED 5
Exact Audio Copy
Audacity
PocketDivXEncoder
Riva FLV Encoder

Virtualization:
VirtualBox
Sandboxie
andLinux
Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

Virtual Network Computing:
Hamachi
TeamViewer
UltraVNC

Text/Code Editors:
KompoZer
Vim
Emacs
Notepad2
Programmer’s Notepad
Editpad Lite
Notepad++

Calendars:
Rainlendar
Sunbird

 

ImgBurn v2.3 for ISO's/images

vista compatible 32/64bit

ImgBurn supports a wide range of image file formats - including ISO, BIN, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, MDS, NRG and PDI.

It supports Unicode folder/file names, so you shouldn't run in to any problems if you're using an international character set.

ImgBurn supports all the Windows OS's - Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista (including all the 64-bit versions). If you use Wine, it should also run on Linux and other x86-based Unixes.

It's a very flexible application with several advanced features that are often lacking in other tools, especially when it comes to burning DVD Video discs(excellent w/ Double Layer). It supports all the latest drives without the need for updates (including booktype / bitsetting / advanced settings on many of the major ones - i.e. BenQ, LiteOn, LG, NEC, Plextor, Samsung, Sony).

Brought to you by the developers of DVD Decrypter

DownLoad HERE!!

 

Nice one Calvin. Consider Adding CCCP and VirtualDub. And change it to Works with vista 32-bit unless you've tested with both 32-bit and 64-bit.

 

I changed it like you said fab, and also added that if you're gonna contribute, you have to have used the program and you need to include a description, along with a safe download link.

 

Awesome work!

 

AH.
CCCP. Likely the best filter/mediaplayer package. Includes Mediaplayer Classic, Zoomplayer, FFdshow, Haalis mediasplitter and a whole bunch of other filters allowing you to play just about any video-file. I've used it on both vista and XP.

Virtualdub v1.77. A video editing tool. Quite advanced. Lots of features. Very good, IMO. Works with vista and XP. Is avaialable in a 64-bit version.

 

Also consider adding -

Google Talk - IM Client
Windows Live Writer - Desktop Blog publishing software

 

isnt WinRAR technically a trial?

 

Is it really necessary to repeat a thread like this?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=32000&highlight=free

 

Shouldn't "Instant Messaging" be under "Internet"?

BTW Great list! Should defiantly update that old sticky.

 

i third CCCP

and also, i would like to add GPU-Z as part of the computer information section. works like CPUZ but obviously tells video card card information

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/896/TechPowerUp_GPU-Z_v0.1.5.html

 

Please follow my guidelines and add a description and a safe download link.

Nope. Free all the way baby.

If you want to pick a fight, pick one with Chaz and Kdawgca. Mods who approve of this. Along with Tim.

 

This is the updated thread. We are going to get ride of the old one.
Tim

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll change it.

Thanks, i'll definitly check it out and add it if it's good. Also adding CCCP and virtual dub.

 

I've heard complaints of this program causing trouble on a users pc by messing with his registry causing him to do a clean install. until other people have confirmed no such thing will happen i've kept it off the list.

 

My Bad.

Google Talk
Description: Google's Instant Messaging Service. It is also a Jabber Client and is compatible with AIM.

Link: http://www.google.com/talk/

Windows Live Writer

Description: Windows Live Writer is a desktop application that makes it easy to publish rich content to your blog.

Publish to most major blog services
Including Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint, Wordpress, Blogger and many others. Don't have a blog yet? Writer will help you set one up!

Create a compelling blog easily
Insert photos and videos, maps, tags and lots of other cool content, all in a snap. Powerful editing features include tables, spell checker, and quick hyperlinks.

Preview before you post
Writer shows you what your blog entry will look like before you post it, using your blog's templates and formatting.

Compose your entries offline
Publish them later, when you get back online.

Link: http://get.live.com/writer/overview

 

Cool. In that case,



Anti-virus

Avast! Home Edition. Free Antivirus Software, at least for home users. http://avast.com/i_kat_207.php?lang=ENG

AVG Free – Another good free virus software. Don’t have to register like Avast.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

AntiVir - Free antivirus program
http://www.free-av.com/

Anti- Spyware

Bazooka Spyware Scanner - www.kephyr.com
AdAware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
Spybot - Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/
Microsoft Antispyware -
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...e/default.mspx
SpywareBlaster - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
Windows Defender - http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...e/default.mspx
Spyware Terminator- www.Spywareterminator.com


Audio

iTunes. It's free, it's chic, and it's apple's. No need for an Ipod, this is a must for digital music fans.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Cheetah Audio Converter – Unlike most converters it does .wma at no cost.
http://www.cheetahburner.com/

Exact Audio Copy – High quality CD ripper.
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/

Quintessential Player – Good audio player. All kinds of options and skins.
http://www.quinnware.com/

MediaMonkey - Music organization and secondary music player
http://www.mediamonkey.com/

MPTrim - Cut off unwanted clips off mp3’s and change volume.
http://www.mptrim.com/

EXPStudio on download.com = free audio editor

Winamp
www.winamp.com

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...Codec_Pack.htm K-lite codec pack - all the necessary codecs in one place
Audacity
http://audacity.sourceforge.net
The Godfather - MP3 Tagger
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multime...odFather.shtml

Browsers

Firefox – Popular IE alternative.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Opera - uses slightly less ram than firefox
www.opera.com

Flashpeak Slimbrowser - Firefox like IE engine Web browser.
http://www.flashpeak.com/sbrowser/

Torpark - an anonymous browser based on Firefox
http://www.download.com/Torpark/3000...-10586816.html

Netscape - www.netscape.com
www.maxthon.com

Calendars

Rainlendar – Desktop calendar program
http://www.ipi.fi/~rainy/index.php...ect=rainlendar
Mozilla Sunbird: a calendar
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/cale...ird/index.html
Monocalendar - a calendar with the functionality as iCal
www.monocalendar.com

Customize!

CursorXP - Custom Cursor themes
http://www.stardock.com/products/cursorxp/

Change your startup screen
http://www.stardock.com/products/bootskin/

CrystalXP - FREE xp themes, bricopacks with complete icon sets, and more, they tell you how to install it all in the forum.
www.crystalxp.net

http://interfacelift.com

Change your logon screen
http://logonloader.danielmilner.com/

Microsoft Keyboard layout creator.
http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/tools/msklc.mspx

Downloading

Free Download Manager. Adds nice features to downloading tasks such as download by parts and start/resume abilities. If you are using Firefox, make sure to get the Flashgot extension too.
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/

LeechGet - Download Manager/Accelerator
http://www.leechget.net/

Email
Thunderbird. Also created by the Mozilla foundation, this app is to MS Outlook what Firefox is to IE. It may not be as strong in PIM or calendar related tasks, but if what you need is a an email program that just works, look no further.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

Gdow - Gmail notifier
http://dowdow.free.fr/indexen.php

Firewall

ZoneAlarm – Free version is good and much better than XP’s firewall.
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/conten...eeDownload.jsp

Sygate Personal Firewall
http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm

Kerio Personal Firewall - Free firewall
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm

Hardware Info/Check

CPU-Z – Gives info on CPU, memory and mainboard.
http://www.cpuid.org/cpuz.php

Everest – Find out what hardware in on your laptop.
http://www.lavalys.com/products/over...?pid=1&lang=en

HD Tune – Great hard drive utility.
http://www.hdtune.com/

Notebook Hardware Control – Controls laptop hardware.
http://www.pbus-167.com/chc.htm

Dead Pixel Buddy – See if you notebook or LCD has any dead or stuck pixels.
http://www.laptopshowcase.co.uk/downloads.php?id=1

Dead Pixel Tester: Everylaptop owner needs to test this one out. Find all those dead pixels.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/...l-Tester.shtml

CPU-Z: Another program that gives info on your processor. I have not tried this one either.
http://www.cpuid.org/cpuz.php

CPU RightMark: Another CPU program.
http://cpu.rightmark.org/download.shtml

Speed Fan
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

ClearTweak™ allows you to change the contrast setting of the ClearType® setting for Windows XP®. ClearType is designed to enhance LCD displays. It may appear slightly blurry on standard desktop monitors.
http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/

IM

Miranda IM - multiprotocol IM, no install necessary
http://www.miranda-im.org/

Skype - VoIP, no install necessary
http://www.skype.com/

Gaim. - http://gaim.sourceforge.net/

Trillian Basic (pro costs money)
www.trillian.com
A-Patch (for MSN Messenger) - Make MSN messenger (or windows live messenger) compact, remove ads, unneeded uglyness, bloatedness.
http://apatch.ikhost.com/
Meebo - An online AJAX IM tool that incorporates YIM, MSN, AIM, and GoogleTalk. It's absolutely great when you're not on your own machine but you need to get a hold of somebody via AIM. http://wwwm.meebo.com/index-en.html

Media Players

www.divx.com – one of the best media players
Real Alternative – http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...lternative.htm

BSplayer - very light and full of options player. I found it uses much less CPU than Winamp (for video playback); really nice. www.bsplayer.org

Media Player Classic - Lightweight, customizable video player.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/
Foobar- More powerful, more customizable, less bloated itunes.
http://www.foobar2000.org/
MediaMonkey - Music organization and secondary music player
http://www.mediamonkey.com/
GB-PVR Media center. (Turn your comp into a TV)
http://www.gbpvr.com/
GOM Player. – Freeware, light, robust, internal codecs, skin support
http://www.gomplayer.com/
VLC. Plays virtually everything, and is SAFE. It is even sponsored by Firefox. http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Winamp
www.winamp.com

Office

Abiword- Reads and writes word docs and other formats. Better than Wordpad and smaller than Open Office and Microsoft Word and it is free.
http://www.abisource.com/

Open Office. – Free alternative to MS-Office.
http://www.openoffice.org/
Notepad++ - Great notepad replacement
http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/

Passwords

Password Corral Great Password Manager
http://www.cygnusproductions.com/freeware/pc.asp

KeePass - a VERY SECURE password manager, no install necessary
http://keepass.sourceforge.net


Peer to Peer

Limewire- http://www.limewire.com/english/content/home.shtml
Soulseek Best music p2p app.
http://www.slsknet.org/

Pictures

Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery. Those images you accidentally erased from your digicam may still be there. Find out with this program.
http://www.z-a-recovery.com/digital-image-recovery.htm

Ifranview – Very nice photo viewer. Can do some basic basic photo editing. Also has command line options and plug-ins.
http://www.irfanview.com/

The Gimp."Bring out the gimp". Powerful photo editing program, albeit with a steep learning curve. The Photoshop of free editing programs.
http://www.gimp.org/

Pixresizer - with this program you can easily convert or resize all your images in a specific folder. http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm

IrFanView - Small, fast image viewer
http://www.irfanview.com/
Picasa – By Google. For organizing photos, creating slideshows; what iPhoto should be. http://picasa.google.com/index.html
FastStone Image Viewer The best freeware image viewer (not as fast as Irfanview, but has more options)
http://www.faststone.org/
Resizepic- Program to resize images, so they can be used as avatars, for example.
http://resizepic.com/

XnView - Image Viewer/converter
http://www.xnview.com/

ALSee Image viewer. Can also batch resize, and convert. All the ALTools are very nice software actually, though most of them have better alternatives, I've found ALZip and ALSee to be the best in their fields. http://www.altools.net/ALTools/ALSee...4/Default.aspx

RivaTuner v2.01 What's a graphics card tweaker without the proper tools to do so ? http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=163

VSO Image Resizer - Good, free image resizer. Works on both XP and Vista and has a handful of other features including format conversion and compression.
http://www.vso-software.fr/products/...ge_resizer.php

Registry

Crap-Cleaner. Nice app, not so nice name. Since you decided to go the Windows way, you will also need something to keep your registry error-free and improve system performance. Registry cleaner, Uninstall utility, and system cleaner.
http://www.ccleaner.com/

RegScrubXP – Keep that registry free of defects.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=2048

RegSeeker
Great registry management tool. It offers quick access to startup entries, uninstall information, colour schemes, History items (URLs, recent documents etc) and IE Favourites. There is also a selection of tweaks.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/regseeker.html
Eusing Free Registry Cleaner Another reg cleaner.
http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_...ry_cleaner.htm
NTRegOpt -Compresses your registry. Doesn't alter entries, so *should be safe*.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/ntregopt.html

System

MSConfig – Turn off all unwated programs from starting with windows.
Start>Run>MSConfig
Cablenut - For tweaking you connection settings
http://www.cablenut.com/
Cleanup – at a click of a button it cleans up a numerous amount of this, everything is customizable and selectable by you, including empty recycle bin, delete newsgroup cache, delete cookies, delete prefetch, scan pc for temp files, etc. You can also keep track of how much you cleaned up and how much you removed in the run, and overall how much you have removed in total runs
http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/
RMClock Utility: http://cpu.rightmark.org/products/rmclock.shtml

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html - Learn and eliminate startup you don't need, including the ones that Msconfig will not show.

Video
DVD Decrypter – Rip almost any DVD and can burn them as well.
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/vi..._decrypter.cfm

DVD Identifier – Find out who makes your blank DVD to see if they are any good.
http://dvd.identifier.cdfreaks.com/

DVD Shrink – Shrink almost any DVD.
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/vi...dvd_shrink.cfm

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...Codec_Pack.htm K-lite codec pack - all the necessary codecs in one place

 

Thank you very much.

Thanks for the list but the first thing i did was go over the old one and got all of the ones i considered the best from that one. Also, i let Safety things get posted by the The best free anti virus/firewall/anti spyware programs thread.

 

ImageBurn makes registry changes, including file associations without permission. Don't add that one.

BurnCDCC works great, burns ISO files, verifies, and does not "touch" your registry.

 

Good work Calvin. Definite sticky !!

See if you want to include this :

Internet
MozBackup is a simple utility for creating backups of Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Mozilla Suite and Netscape profiles.

It allows you to backup and restore bookmarks, mail, contacts, history, extensions, cache etc.

It's an easy way to do Firefox backup, Thunderbird backup

Download Link : MozBackup

 

A good alternative is BurnAware, though it cannot create ISO files from discs. =/

 

Thanks Blackmamba for the your list too....!!

 

I already have it. But thanks for the suggestion anyway. I'm going to add that you need to read through my list first to see if something similar/better/same is there already to my guidelines.

 

My bad....I missed it somehow !!

 

Thanks Calvin and everyone else who has been suggesting software-that LogonStudio is pretty cool

 

Guys, be sure to tell me if you see a spelling mistake or dead link. Thanks.

 

Fine Calvin....I have deleted what is considered to be taboo here !!

 

I'm sorry vikram, please delete your post. It doesn't matter if that's the case, to have this thread i had to take that section out. No posting it here either. I don't want it locked, closed, or deleted.

 

get real.................

what program doesn't mod a few registry entrees.......... i mean really.... if it's in the add/remove programs under control panel, it changes the registry

and if you open them eyes>> under settings>> you can set up or undo any file associations or preferences you wish!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Alright, it seems as if the IMGBurn program is fine to add to the list. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Nice work Calvin, your list is the best!

 

CursorFX is the updated version of CursorXP

 

Image Editing
Inkscape:

Awesome vector graphic editor, it is almost a powerful as Adobe Illustrator with the difference that you don't have to pay for it. It can be downloaded here. Enjoy.

 

DVD Decryptor is no longer available for download at afterdawn.com.
Actually, it is no longer freeware.

 

Misc. Utilities

RivaTuner
-A tweaking utility for your video card drivers that has overclocking abilities, fan control, GPU monitoring, and other features.
-I've used it to overclock and monitor my GPU temps for the past months and haven't had any issues/problems with it. It's relatively simple to use.
-Download link at top of post

Great list, BTW

 

Auslogics Registry Defrag?

 

Second that.

Also, Fraps. I use it for displaying the FPS in games, as well as taking screenshots. I know it's used quite extensively here at NBR.

 

It's still in early beta. Can't add it.

Follow my guidelines for suggesting an app please. It's to keep this organized and safe.

Thanks for the heads up. I never saw that when i was checking through all of the links the first couple of times.

Thanks for the suggestion, i'll definitly check it out.

Follow my guidelines for suggesting an app please. It's to keep this organized and safe.

I'll definitly check it out. Thanks.

 

Great work Calvin. Looks like your work has just begun maintaining this thing!

Here are my suggestions:

-Encryption-

Cryptainer LE

Creates an encrypted container (vault) to store any type of data
128 bit strong encryption
Simple drag and drop operation
Easy to use, Impossible to break
Cryptainer Mobile edition encrypts any data on any media (USB Drives, CD ROMs, Flash Disks etc)
Works on all 32 bit versions of Windows
Send Secure E-mails
The best part - It is FREE - Never Expires. No Nag screens

-Video Players-

FLV Player

It plays FLV files, such as you might download from Youtube
One file, no installation needed

-Audio/Video Editors-

Riva Encoder

Transcodes between formats
Particularly designed for transcoding to FLV and uploading to a webpage
Video enhancement options
Features:
custom settings for audio- and video-encoding
deinterlace
image extraction
FLV 1.1 (metadata)
Custom colored borders (Padding)
Crop parts of the video
Cutting with a startoffset and a encode duration
Drag-n-drop of video files directly on the encoder
Audio parameter check
language: english, french and german

-Other-

!!!!>>> DOSBox<<<!!!!

DOSBox is a DOS-emulator that uses the SDL-library which makes DOSBox very easy to port to different platforms. DOSBox has already been ported to many different platforms, such as Windows, BeOS, Linux, MacOS X...

DOSBox also emulates CPU:286/386 realmode/protected mode, Directory FileSystem/XMS/EMS, Tandy/Hercules/CGA/EGA/VGA/VESA graphics, a SoundBlaster/Gravis Ultra Sound card for excellent sound compatibility with older games...

You can "re-live" the good old days with the help of DOSBox, it can run plenty of the old classics that don't run on your new computer!

DOSBox is totally free of charge and OpenSource.

 

Please include a description of the applications you are trying to suggest pixelot.

 

This is great, thanks. rep+

 

Sorry Calvin, I added descriptions of all.

 

Thank you very much pixelot.

 

Oops.. sorry Calvin

Overview

Auslogics Registry Defrag Download Page

To defrag and compact the Windows Registry in less than a minute. The program will scan through the registry to remove slack spaces, reducing the registry size and ultimately the amount of RAM the registry takes up, and improving your computer performance.

 

Thanks for posting it with the description. So you've never had any problems with it at all?

 

Windows Essentials Media Codec Pack 1

Windows Essentials Codec Pack is a collection of audio and video DirectShow codecs and filters. With Windows Essentials Codec Pack you should be able to play 99% of all movies and music files that you download off the Internet, stay up to date with the latest codecs with the Audio/Video Codec Update Service, and eliminate the many conflicts and errors caused by using multiple codecs to decode the same file types.

 

Yeah, if then I wouldn't suggest As good as Auslogics Disk Defrag

 

Ah, i've auslogics disk defrag has been good to me for a long time. I'll add it.

Seems pretty alright. I'll check it out some more though.

 

Just to remind, after running Auslogics Registry Defrag, it will be a file named NTUSER.DAT appearing in your personal folder. It’s actually one of your registry files. But unlike the other registry files, this one is stored in your personal folder and contains the entire contents of the HKEY_LOCAL_USER branch of the registry. You can’t delete it because it’s protected and in use, and you wouldn’t want to because otherwise you’ll mess up your whole computer. It will grow as you install more software that creates keys and sub keys in this branch of the registry, so is perfectly normal.

To summarise: just leave NTUSER.DAT alone. Set as hidden if you find it annoying

 

Alright, i have one question for pixelot though. Does Riva FLV Encoder 2 work in vista? The download page only goes up to xp.